Reconciliation
Cast:
Cure Aqua, Minazuki Karen - age 23
Cure Sunshine, Myoudouin Itsuki - age 19
Cure Echo, Sakagami Ayumi - age 17
Shirogane Hisako - age 23
January, 2015
Ayumi waits for the door to click shut behind her, then she sighs.
"What's wrong, Ayumi?"
"Eep!" Her guard having been directed entirely behind her, Ayumi is caught by surprise. "Ms. Shirogane, I didn't see you there!"
"That's Hisako," the woman replies, bopping Ayumi lightly on the forehead. "What's got you so worked up?"
"It's nothing, really. It's probably all in my head. I just needed to step out for a few minutes."
Ayumi tried to run away but was blocked in front.
"This may be the bride's day, but the bridesmaids need to be smiling as well. As the Master of Ceremonies, I need to know if something has got you spooked. Now spill it."
Ayumi sighs again. "It could be nothing, but I think Cure Sunshine has something she wants to say to Cure Aqua. The atmosphere in that room feels incredibly tense."
"The bride and her soon-to-be sister-in-law, eh? I'd better take a look." Hisako opens the door and peeks inside. "Yeah, that's not nothing. I think we'd better facilitate this."
"What are you going to do?" Ayumi says, clearly apprehensive.
"Nothing much. I'm going to have you take the other bridesmaids and introduce them to their escorts, just in case one of you doesn't know. I'll find some reason or other for the other ladies to be out of the room for a bit, and then those two will probably sort this out for themselves."
"You're going to leave them alone, together?"
"Sure am! If it's those two, it's a sure thing it'll turn out alright."
"Are you mad at me? You have every right to be."
Itsuki is helping Karen with her hair, having stepped in when the other helpers were called out of the room on various errands. At this time, Karen has not even begun putting on the dress she will wear for the ceremony, which hangs on a mannequin a couple of meters away. It didn't seem odd as it was happening, but somehow the two of them have been left entirely alone in the room.
"I was, for a little while. You did steal my thunder when it was decided that your wedding would be just before mine. I even invited you to be a bridesmaid, so you couldn't have not known. Then your grandfather died. It was his idea, wasn't it?"
"It was. I think that he knew he was dying. He was so happy just to be at our wedding... If only he could have lived to see today as well."
Karen smiles. "I would have liked that too. Your grandfather was a good man."